Japanese Coral
by dakotatheflyingcupcake
Summary: After a move to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Sango Hayashi is left friendless and alone in the confusing new land. AN: I just gave Sango the last name of Hayashi, since she doesn't canonly have one haha. This is a modern SangoxMiroku fic, enjoy :) I do not own any of these characters.
1. Prologue: Good-Bye, Mother

Prologue: Good-bye, Mother.

"Daddy?" Sango asked, placing her little pudgy hand on her father's leg as he worked at his desk, his fingers hitting keys furiously on his laptop. "Where is mommy?"

Her father never looked down at her as he responded. "She isn't feeling well, Sango baby. I took her to the hospital. She'll get better over there." he said with a tremble to his sturdy voice.

"What is wrong with her?"

"Her chest was hurting earlier today. Don't worry, she'll be home soon." He said with a dull tone and a single tear running down his cheek.


	2. Chapter One: Moving

Chapter One: Moving.

"Father, do we have to move?" Sango Hayashi asked, her waist long brown hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, her bangs just brushing against her eyebrows. The teenager had lived in Tokyo, Japan all of her life, it was almost impossible for her to imagine living anywhere else.

"Sango, I am just as happy as you are," her father huffed as he began to dismantle his bed frame so it would be easier to move practically halfway across the world. "But, we have to. The job in America pays more than the one here in Tokyo." The single father of two children was a lead scientist in the investigation to find cures for "incurable" diseases. Recently, he had gotten a job offer from a research facility in the United States of America. At first, Sango's father assured his daughter and son that the offer meant nothing to him, and that they wouldn't leave Tokyo. But, upon looking into the offer and seeing how much they would be willing to pay him, it was an offer he couldn't refuse.

"But what about school?" She asked, still very worried about leaving her home land to travel to one she has only read about in her studies. At this moment, she was just pulling for anything that would get them to stay in Japan. But, her attempts where futile. Deep in her, she knew that. But she just didn't want to accept that this was her last four days in her childhood home.

"I chose good schools for you and Kohaku to go to. Don't you worry, my daughter. Just go to your room and continue packing. Make sure your brother is doing the same."

Sighing, the girl closed her brown eyes and she nodded. "Yes, father." She sighed as she dipped her head in respect to him and walked across the neat wooden floor to her brothers room, where she knocked slightly. "Kohaku? May I enter?"

She took a few steps back and waited for signs that her brother was coming to the door to answer her summoning of him. As she waited, she turned her head from side to side to view her old home for the last time. The walls that used to have beautiful works of art pinned to them were now stripped bare with just the plain white paint left. The kitchen, where she would usually prepare family meals was unrecognizable. Kohaku's drawings, which would hang from the fridge to humor him, where taken down and packed away into some box to be shipped overseas to America. The calendar that hung on the freezer door with all the important dates to remember circled, starred, or marked in some way with a black Sharpie was thrown away. They would need a new one when they got to it. She sighed and looked to the ground. The girl never realized how much this house meant to her before it was going to be taken away from her. It only took a few seconds for the older sister to pick up the pitter patter of his bare feet across the barren floor of his bedroom. The door opened to reveal her little brother, dressed in a baggy shirt and shorts (seeing as though all of his other clothing were packed away). His shoulder length ebony hair was pulled back in a small ponytail to reveal his fringe framed freckled face. "Yes, Sango?" The small one asked, flicking his innocent brown eyes up to meet hers.

A gentle smile pushed the corners of her lips up as she laid eyes on her kid brother, and then at the progress he had made on his room. Three boxes sat in the middle of his room, all with labels; toys, shirts, pants. "Wow, you made great progress in your room." The older sister praised as she stepped inside, looking around at the shelves that were once home to action figurines and books, but now held nothing but the outline of it's old treasures in a coating of dust. Something that father would have to deal with soon. "How are you feeling about moving to America?" She asked as she sat on the floor, inviting her brother to come over and join her.

"To be honest…. I'm very nervous…" the eleven year old said as he took his place across from his sister. "My English isn't that good and… What if they make fun of me for it?"

"There is nothing for you to worry about, brother." the eldest sister consoled the worried little one with a kiss to the head and a bright smile. Though she was worried for almost the same reasons. While she was confident she could speak English well, she was frightened at the prospect of making new friends. Maybe not making iany/i new friends and being the loner kid in a huge school. "We'll be just fine, okay? And plus," the girl added with a giggle as their huge tabby cat, Kilala, strolled into the room, apparently displeased by all the boxes she couldn't crawl into and nap, "we'll have Kilala to protect us."

The younger boy giggled and he looked back to the young cat, holding his small and still chubby hand out to entice her to come closer. "Yeah, we do have Kilala to protect us."

"See?" Sango said with a forced smile on her face. "We'll be fine, don't you worry."

Days passed like seconds in the eyes of the fifteen year old girl. Everything passed by Sango like a quick flowing stream. Her friends slipped through her fingers like the liquid that flowed quickly past her without a second thought and all of her happiness seemed to be at the opposing end of the river, some place where she would really have to fight to get to. But, she had no choice about the move. Her life in Japan had come to an abrupt end. Father had to take this job, and they would have a better life in America.

At least, that was what Sango had told herself and her little brother to calm his nerves.

"Dad, what State are we moving to again?" Yawned the tired Kohaku as they packed their carry ons into the yellow taxi. They had sold their car, since there was no hope of getting that hunk of metal over to America.

"Pennsylvania." The man answered shortly, feeling the effects of the early morning himself. Normally, he would have gotten two or more hours of sleep, but their flight left at seven in the morning, making them leave three hours in advanced to make it through security in time to catch their early morning flight.

"Pennsylvania…?"

"It's up further north to the east, under New York." Sango yawned as she took her brothers hand and lead him to the yellow vehicle, opening the door for the boy to shimmy in.

"Oh." he said simply when his older sister slid in next to him. "And are we going to live in a small town or a city?"

"We're moving to Lancaster, PA. My job is at Hershey Medical Center. It's a forty minute drive from our home to my job."

Nodding, Sango sighed and she looked out of the window of the unfamiliar cab to the city that was once her home. No longer would she be able to go to her favourite restaurant, or see her friends in the flesh daily. The only thing that would connect them now was a web camera and the rare phone call. The girl let out a simple and small sigh, fogging the window.


	3. Chapter Two: Lost and Found

Chapter Two: Lost and Found

"Sango! Wake up!" a little high pitched voice broke through the abyss of darkness that was her dream. "Sango! You'll miss the bus!" It came again, accompanied by a little push at her shoulder.

With a groan, the girl opened her brown eyes to see the early morning sunlight pouring into her still barren room. She sat up, rubbing her head where her matted hair rested. She had slept for over ten hours, but she felt as though she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. "I'm up, I'm up, brother," she murmured, half asleep as she did so.

"Good! I put out cereal for you, sis. Get it before Kilala steals the milk from it!" He laughed as he ran out of her room to give her privacy to get ready.

Sighing, the girl swung her legs over the side of her mattress, only to stub her toe on the rough carpet. She swore under her breath as she remembered that she was just sleeping on the soft mattress, and that her bed frame had not arrived from Japan yet. Ignoring her body's pleas to stay in bed and rest for even a minute more, she pushed herself to her feet and walked over to her suitcase and picked out an outfit; a hot pink tank top and green capri shorts with her normal sneakers, and of course a bra. She took off her sleepwear, letting the oversized black shirt to fall on the bed, leaving her with just her pale skin with her black panties hugging her form. The bra was a bit difficult to get on in her sleepy state, but she managed to get it on correctly the first time. The rest of her clothing slipped on with ease, the sweet old scent of her home sticking to her pink tank top to remind her of home. For a moment, her heart felt sore with the longing to go back to Japan…

She slipped on her dark green pants, making sure everything looked fine in the mirror before she grabbed her brush out of the bag and she began to brush out her dark hair. She winced as the bristles of the brush got caught in her knotty hair, but she quickly tamed the sea of ebony and got her hair to be smooth and silky as it was meant to be. She gave a satisfied smile as she ran her fingers through it one last time before grabbing it and working it up to be in a ponytail. She didn't really like having all of her hair resting on her neck at all times. She liked to be able to feel cool air on the nape of her porcelain skin.

"Sango! I can't keep Kilala away from your food forever!" Kohaku's voice called up to his sister from their new kitchen, his voice bouncing off the bare walls of the new home.

"I'm coming!" she called back down to him as she turned off the light in her bigger room and she closed the door behind her as she ran down the stairs to see Kilala sitting where there was what she thought to be her bowl of cereal, a piece of light toast, an egg, and a glass of juice. Her little brother would boop the feline's nose every time she would try to stick her muzzle into the white liquid that kept her corn flakes afloat. "Kilala, down girl." she laughed as she poked the cat's soft and fuzzy belly.

The cat gave a mew of protest before she gave up and she jumped down from the wooden chair and she stalked away with her black-tipped tail high in the air.

Sango rolled her eyes and she took her seat, quickly scarfing down the soggy cereal that her little brother set out for her. Next, she tore apart the toast and dabbed the bland tasting food into the yoke of her egg to get the yellow liquid filling to get on the toasted bread to give it a more enjoyable flavor.

"All right, Sango, Kohaku," the father started as he sat down at the table to enjoy his morning meal as well. He too looked like he hadn't gotten a full night of sleep. "I start my job today. I don't think I'll be home until eight or so. In that case, Sango, I want you to make dinner and look after your little brother."

The girl dipped her head in understanding as the last of the toast disappeared into her mouth and she swallowed. "I can do that. I'll also put aside a dinner for you to eat."

He smiled and he rubbed her arm. "Good girl, I can always depend on you. Now, brush your teeth and out the door. You'll miss the bus. Kohaku, get her dishes for her."

"Yes sir." they both said in unison and she got up, briskly walking to the bathroom and brushing her pristine white teeth with the minty paste. She never liked the unnatural flavor it left in her mouth after she drank juice…

Checking her reflection one last time, the girl ran out and she grabbed her simple black back pack and she opened the door-equipped with a small doggy for their big-boned cat.

"Grab your keys! I'm locking the door!" her father called after her.

"Yeah!" she called back and she closed her door and jogged to the bus stop. She could have sworn up and down that she put her keys in the small compartment of her new bag last night before she slept.

There were two other kids there; one girl with half of her dirty blonde hair shaved and pulled back into a ponytail. She kinda looked like an ancient warrior-The Native Americans that she had read of. Her ears were covered by black Sony headphones with faint tunes coming out of them. A song that the new girl didn't know. Next to her was a boy in a purple tank top and ripped blue jeans. His black hair was pulled back into a thin pony tail, and on his left arm he wore what Sango thought to be prayer beads. By the looks of it, he seemed to be Japanese too. But, he didn't notice her. And she wasn't about to embarrass herself by trying to talk Japanese to him if he didn't know any. His indigo eyes were to the cloudy and grey sky, no emotion showing in them.

Hayashi sighed and she put in her earbuds and played the soft tune that reminded her of home. It was the song that dad would play to try to cheer the kids up after her mother passed away all those years ago. Her head dipped in a silent prayer that her mother was somewhere safe.

A tug on her shirt is what brought her out of her little prayer session. Her eyes snapped up to see the boy pinching the fabric of her pink clothing. "Hey, the bus is here." he simply said before he gave her a small smile and quickly hopped up the three stairs that lead into the long yellow vehicle. She was a little surprised that school kids in America actually did get buses from the school. In Japan, they had to catch the public bus then walk the rest of the way to school. America was so different…

Sango quickly followed the boy into the bus, explaining to the expressionless male driver that she was a new student and would be taking the bus from now on. He just shrugged and told her to pick out a seat where ever she liked.

She looked for an empty seat in the already packed bus. There were so many kids. Most of them where asleep, some where working on homework that was probably due that morning. Others were reading.

The single boy at the bus stop was sitting with a boy with wild and long black hair, having the most golden eyes she had ever seen. Those _have_ to be contacts, she thought. Knowing that the driver was growing inpatient with her, she quickly walked to the back of the bus and took her lonely seat at the very back. All the other kids were sitting at least five seats away from her, making her alone from the very beginning.

She felt lost.

The bus ride didn't last too long-however since it was incredibly silent and lonely on Sango's end, and so she did feel like it dragged out longer than it would have if she had spent the time talking with friends- and soon the long motor bus pulled up to a quaint but still impressive-looking building; McCaskey East High School. Her new school. Not only was Sango the new girl from a different continent, she was coming into the school year three weeks late. Just late enough to be excluded from friend groups and not to have that much make up work.

Perfect.

Sango was the last student off of the school bus, stumbling a bit on the last step as she took a look around at her new surroundings. A green patch of grass and a single tree sprouted out of the viridian island in the sea of concert. A few meters away from the drop off area was the school; blue roof and grey walls. Fewer windows than her original school and bigger than her former school. She took nervous steps towards the glass doors and pulled it open with the cool metal handle that protruded from the structure. She entered and was immediately assaulted by a cacophony of voices and shoes stomping on the white tile floor. Lockers slamming shut and boys yelling.

This was definently going to take some getting used to…

She looked from wall to wall looking for any direction to the main office so she could get a map of the school and her schedule. Finally, she spotted a hot pink flyer with a big bold arrow pointing down the crowded hall with a bold font that said "MAIN OFFICE". Sango smiled and she followed the arrow's direction, squeezing between groups of kids and their oversized back packs. She got a few looks, of both "Who is she?" and "Whoa, she's cute.". But she ignored every look and continued down her way until she reached the blocky office, swinging open the old wooden door.

Inside was two middle aged women, a bit plump with grey roots showing through their blonde hair. They were sat adjacent from each other at big wooden desks with a big apple computer monitor in front of their chubby faces. When Sango entered, the first woman turned her bored gaze to the teenager. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, umm… My name is Sango Hayashi, I am the new student here…" She said in a timid tone to the woman.

"From Japan?" the lady, Miss White, asked as she pushed her black leather rolling chair over to a wooden cabinet and pulled out a a little plastic basket with a plethora of tabs and dividers. She flicked through them quickly before she pulled out a few pieces of paper and something that was hard, plastic, and rectangular.

"Y-yes."

"Well, welcome to America, Miss Hayashi. This is your school schedule," she handed her a full sheet of paper that was decided into a four column chart, "the map of the school, and your student ID." she handed her the other paper and her little ID card. It had her information:

Name: Sango Hayashi

Sex: Female

Age: 15

Where there would have been a picture of her was a blank slate..

"You probably won't have a picture on there until next year." Miss White said as she saw the confused look on her face. "Have a good first day." She said to dismiss the lost new student.

Sango dipped her head and she backed out of the door, looking to the time. 7:52am. Classes started in eight minutes, and she needed to get to room 13 for first period biology. Even though, according to her age, she was supposed to be a freshman, her intelligence put her at sophomore year. "13… 13…." she murmured as she wondered aimlessly down the long hallway with numbers in the teens, finally made it to the room thirteen.

Every head in the room turned to her when she entered the room. All except for one in the back, his black mop of hair down on the ebony desk.

"Yes?" A middle aged fat man asked, wearing a white stained shirt, clipped with a red bow tie and his kaki pants were kept around his hips and flabby rear by some very strained black suspenders.

"I-I'm a new student… Sango Hayashi?" She said to him, fixing her posture to look more confident than she actually was.

"Ah, Miss Hayashi. Take a seat by Mr. Ito."

"Who..?"

With an annoyed sigh, the man pointed to the boy in back, his head now lifted from the desk, his bright golden eyes fixed on her. HIs midnight black fringe kissing his bold ebony eyebrows that slanted down.

"Inuyasha Ito." The teacher said again as he made an other gesture for her to move along to the mysterious boy at the back of the class. He seemed to be the only one in the class without a lab partner.

She nodded and moved quickly, stepping over the obstacle course of backpacks to get to her new seat next to her new science partner. "Hello." Sango said simply before taking her seat next to the silent mystery of a boy.

"Yo," he responded, averting his eyes and looking back down at his doodle-filled paper that laid in front of him. One name in particular was scrawled over his paper; Kagome. Sango opened her mouth, wanting to make conversation with him. Both the name he was obsessively writing and his own seemed to be Japanese. But he never spoke an other word to her the entire class period.

The rest of her day was long, exhausting, and incredibly lonely. Back in her old school, between her classes, her friends would talk to her and they would share jokes or stories from the night before or about the lesson they just came from. Now, half way across the world, she was just a nameless face to all passing her. At lunch, she sat alone in the corner of the room, eating her home cooked meal without the company of friends or anyone remotely close to her. All around her were packs of friends, laughing and smiling to one an other to jokes that only their group would understand. The only coherent voice she enjoyed was the soft tune by Ishikawa Yui as she munched on her soft and familiar fried rice.

Her classes were easy enough, but she was three weeks behind every other person in her studies. It was going to be hard work to catch up, and even more to the point, she had no one to talk to her about what she had missed. In Japan, if she had gotten sick or had to stay home to care for Kohaku, her friends would bring her work to her home and explain everything she had missed in detail. But now no one would knock on her door to try to assist her. No one

Sango was more than happy when the final bell rang it's shrill cry through the tiled halls. She couldn't wait to get home and do her work with her little brother. She wouldn't be all alone, at least. Her bus came early, which benefitted her. The more time for her to do her work and make dinner for her baby brother and her hard-working father, the better for her and her father. Bus 62 came relatively early, which spared the new girl the awkwardness of standing all alone while everyone congregated together and chat about their day and their plans for after school. The Japanese girl quickly made her way to the long vehicle and she climbed inside with minimal effort, squeezing between the old, brown, and uncomfortable seats to get to the very very back where she felt the safest. Now, it was just the agonizingly lonely and quiet ride home that was separating her from everything familiar to her.

When she finally reached the front porch, she was practically dragging her feet, too tired to lift them up even two centimeters. When she was just a fourth of a meter from her front door, she dropped her bag and opened the small compartment to get the house key out.

But she got a very unpleasant surprise when she discovered it to be empty. "Oh no…" She whispered and she opened the pocket behind the one that was already gaping open. "Oh shit…" She groaned and she stood up, patting her front and back pockets to feel for anything small, hard, and metal.

Nothing.

She was locked out of her house.

"Perfect…" Sango pulled out her slender smart phone and she dialed her brothers number and waited for him to answer his simple flip-phone, but nothing happened. "Oh come on, brother…." she hung up the phone without leaving a message. There _had_ to get in there to get to make food for her family.

Sango sat and she looked at the door, almost like she was wishing to open it with her mind. But she was just looking for a way in. Then, her eyes landed on the cat door. _I could try to get in through there._ her eyes went down to her body. _I'm thin enough to fit, and my hips are the widest part of my body. If I can get them in first, I can get the rest of my body in._

With her last justification in mind, she put her porcelain hands and scarred knees to the cool stone and put her feet through the door, keeping her legs together as she backed into the narrow space. They slipped in, the warm carpet meeting her feet and the course texture of the carpeted floors helped her slide her legs it. But, once the sides of her thighs were touching the sides of the door, her nerves spiked and something told her to stop. But, she didn't listen. The drive to get into her house and contribute to her family was smothering the voice of reason. She pushed in her lower end with difficulty, but it made it through. _The widest part is through_ , she thought with a sigh of relief, _tomorrow I'm_ definitely _making sure I'm making sure I take my keys._ Her waist fit easily into the hole, her sides never even touched the frame of the door. Lastly, her shoulders had to fit through.

But, they didn't. It seemed Sango had miscalculated the proportions of her body. Plus, her chest wasn't helping her fit at all. "Shit…" She tried twisting her body, having her shoulders squeeze through the corner of the rectangular space, but her breasts pushed against the wooden frame, and her shoulders refused to fit in there. Now panicked, she tried to push herself back out, but her hips hit against the frame, holding her firmly in place. The young girl grunted in effort as she wriggled her hips to try to get them back out, but it was no use. They refused to move.

Sango was definitely and hopelessly stuck.

"Help!" She cried for someone to come to her aid, keeping herself supported by tightening her core and balancing on her knees, her pale hands cupped around her rose lips. " _Help_!"

But no one came. She hadn't even seen anyone recently, and the houses were spaced quite far apart. There was no way to guarantee that anyone heard her pleas for help. Soon, the panicked girl gave up trying to get help and she folded her arms on the ground and rested her tired head on her forearm, the pain from the bottom of the door digging into her tummy was becoming more and more noticeable now that she was still. "Come on, Kohaku… Come home soon…" Though she had no idea what her brother was going to do. If she-a girl who was skilled in the martial arts-wasn't strong enough to get her out, there was no way her brother would be any help.

"Hello?" A masculine voice sounded from Sango's left.

 _Someone heard me!_ The girl lifted her head and she blushed when she recognized the torn blue jeans and the open toed shoes that the voice had come over with. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked as he knelt down by her, his dark brown eyes soft and sympathetic. His shoulder length black hair was pulled back into a neat pony tail.

"I… Forgot my keys…" she stated as she averted her eyes down to the grey pavement.

"Well, I figured something was wrong. People don't usually get stuck in doggy doors for fun." he joked with the girl as he moved to her front, still on his knees to talk to her. "My name is Miroku Yamada, I live in the house next over. I heard you calling for help and I thought I should come over and see what's wrong."

"I'm Sango Hayashi, I live here."

The boy pulled a smile. "Really, you live here? Ah, so this isn't a burglary gone wrong. Your name is Sango? Meaning coral, right?"

Sango was about to make a snippy remark back to him, but her eyes widened at Miroku's last statement. "Do you know Japanese?" She asked with a bright smile.

"I do. Both of my parents were Japanese, but I was born here in America. We can get to know each other in a moment when you get out of there."

She blushed again, her thumbs dancing together nervously. "But I can't… I'm stuck."

"That's okay." he mused, moving to her backside and he took something out of his pocket. "I'm going to put this on the door and on your hips and butt. It's just a slippery lip cream. Is that okay?"

"I-I just met you!"

"I know, but it'll help you get free."

Sango sighed and she wriggled uncomfortably before she nodded her head. "All right…" She heard him unscrew the top off of the container and he set it down next to her on the stone front porch. Everything was silent until she felt his hand on her round rear, which made her instinctively tense and try to get away.

"Hey, easy now. I'm sorry, I really am. I'm almost done with your ass, I'm moving to your hips now." He comforted her the best he could. Just after he spoke to her, she felt his warm hands move to her hips, spreading Vaseline on her wide lower half. "All right, you're good." He nodded and he wiped off his hands to rid them of the slimy substance that would help Sango wriggle free.

"All right, now what do I do?" She inquired the man as she shifted her balance to her hands, as apposed to her forearms.

"Get your hips at an angle to come through and wiggle to feed your body through one bit at a time. Give me your non-dominant hand and I'll pull to help you.."

Nodding, Sango didn't hesitate to outreach her weaker hand-her left-to the boy for him to take it. His hands wrapped around her thin wrists and he took a step back. "I'm ready when you are." Miroku told her as she wriggled her body at an angle for her hips to gently slide through. Though before the pulling started, they still hit against the frame, making it a tight fit for the girl. _Is this going to work…? Or did he just do this to feel my butt?_

Once the girl seemed situated enough, the boy leaned back and he pulled on her arm, the same time the girl pushed against the closed door. She groaned as her hips wedged between the corners, but they wiggled further and further out until she felt herself come free, falling to the ground with a little "oof".

Miroku stumbled back as well, but he kept his balance and walked over to his new female companion to check on her. "Are you okay, Sango?"

"Yeah, fine…" She murmured and she rubbed her sore hips to try to kneed the pain out of them. "I need to get inside, though… I need to do my homework and make dinner for my brother and father."

"Well, unless you want to get stuck again, I wouldn't recommend it… But I can't leave you here. Why don't you come with me, and I'll make you tea and we can do our work together."

"But, I can't-"

Her sentence was cut short when she felt his warm hand cover hers and pull on her to get her to her feet. Miroku looked her dead in the eyes, still holding her hand. "I'm not leaving you here, I want to make sure you're okay."

Sango finally felt found.

* * *

AN: Had to put the butt-touch in there somewhere! Also sorry for the mistakes, I write the original drafts in Notes on the school MacBook, and sometimes it autocorrects and shit like that. I'll try to be more diligent.


	4. Chapter Three: Whole Heart Broken Home

AN: A bit of a trigger warning, I'm mentioning alcoholics, depression, and suicide in this. If you continue to read, please enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Three: Whole Heart; Broken Home

"Come home with me, Sango. I'll help you get settled in and do your homework."

The youth was very hesitant to take this offer. This was their first formal encounter with each other-barring seeing each other in the morning-and she had no idea what he was _really_ like. Miroku did help her out of a tight fit, but she had heard so many stories where boys would be nice to girls just to trust them, then turn around and stab them in the back.

Then again, she had heard just as many stories as females doing the same thing. He might also be nervous about inviting her into his home too.

"Okay, Miroku, let me just tell my brother what happened and where I'll be. Hopefully he has his keys..." _Even if he doesn't, he definitely fit through the dog door._ She thought to herself as she got her sleek phone back out and made a quick message to her brother;

[Kohaku, I will not be home when you get there. I forgot my keys and was not able to get in. Call me when you get home, I'll be at a friends house. I can come home and make dinner.]

She pressed the green _send_ button, and the electronic message was delivered with a small audio _blip_. "All right, let's go to your house." the words slipped out of her mouth nervously, like a gentle breeze through an empty forest. All the possibilities rushed through her head like a roaring stream. He could hurt her, keep her in his home. But then again... He could be kind. He could be like her friends back home...

Maybe even nicer than the far and familiar faces she had left behind.

"It's this way," his voice broke through the mist of her worrying and she looked up to his face. It was gentle and comforting, like a father encouraging a timid child.

After considering her options, she picked her light sack off of the sun-warmed rock of her front porch and followed the already moving boy.

"Did you tell your brother where you'll be?" he asked, keeping his head forward.

"Yes, I told him what happened." She replied to the male, keeping his pace.

"Will you explain why there is Vaseline on the doggy door?"

"I won't say anything if he doesn't ask." Sango's cheeks grew rosy from the prospect of her little brother, the youth that looked up to her, finding out about her compromised situation she was in minutes ago.

The girls comment and the blush at her light cheeks earned a chuckle from the boy as he reached the rustic-looking front door of his home. The boy gripped the knob and twisted it in his hands, opening it wide for the woman to enter before he himself did. She dipped her head in thanks and entered the warm home just as her phone buzzed with an incoming message from her brother;

[Oops. You didn't try to get in to the house through a window or anything, right? I'll be home in thirty minutes.]

[Shut up, don't tell father.] Was her quick and frantic response to the boy named after amber.

"My brother will be home in the hour, Miroku."

"You can stay here until then," he told the girl with a gentle smile. "I'll go tell Mushin you're here."

"Is that your father?"

"No..." a wave of sadness washed over his gentle indigo eyes as he looked to the floor. "My father died when I was a toddler in the work force. Mushin is a family friend who took me in after he passed."

"I'm... I'm so sorry." she tried to speak loudly, but her her body didn't allow her to go above a breath.

The boy looked up from the stained carpeted floor. "A criminal by the nickname Naraku shot him and killed him. He was defenseless. My father lifted his left hand up to protect himself, but the man fired anyways. It went through his left hand and into his heart. He died instantly."

Sango couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her entire body went numb, her soul seeming to be reacting more to the story than her eyes were letting on. She tried to search for the right words, but none came. Her mouth was parched and her heart was aching for the boy standing in front of her.

Suddenly, Miroku shook his head and a playful smirk returned to his pale lips. "Sorry, I didn't mean to depress you." He was good at hiding his emotions, but not good enough for the girl not to detect the sorrow that flickered in his eyes. "I'll go talk to Mushin and make tea. Why don't you get out your work and start on it? I'll be back soon."

Nodding, the tired girl sat on an old and rugged couch and opened her bag to get out her work. The brutal image of his father being slaughtered by a low-life criminal made her sick to her stomach. Though she would be able to do major bodily harm to someone, she could not even fathom to kill a random man off of the streets... Soft murmurs from above stole her attention and she focused on the conversation.

"Mushin? Mushin, wake up." Her friend's familiar voice pushed through the barrier between the floors.

"The fuck do you want?" A slurred, deeper voice came from somewhere in the same vicinity as her friend.

"My friend is over, she was locked out of her home. Can she stay here?"

There was a pause, silence slicing through the air like a katana.

But then, the voice that Sango believed belonged to Mushin, responded with something inaudible to her sensitive ears. However, she assumed it was positive since Miroku's response was polite.

"Right. I'm going to make her tea. Why don't I make you coffee and you can meet her?"

Again, the other end of the conversation was muffled by the thickness of the floor.

She then heard light footsteps descend the carpeted stairs back down into the barren and stained room that she was currently seated in. "He said you're welcome here anytime, Sango."

The girl sighed happily and she pulled a small smile to the kind boy. "Thank you, Miroku. I meant to ask you something before you went up to speak to Mushin."

"Oh?" He inquired as wondered into the attached room-the kitchen-to make tea of the both of them. But, she also noticed he turned on a different machine. Something that she was sure had nothing to do with tea.

"Your left hand is wrapped up. Are you hurt?"

Just as she spoke, he froze. As if she had cast a spell of immobility on him. But soon, he broke free from her supposed curse and formulated a reply to her. "Oh... You noticed, didn't you?"

"It's not exactly discreet, you know?" the girl pointed out to him as she rose from the ancient cushion of her friends furniture and entered the small rustic-styled kitchen.

A nod of his head told Sango that he acknowledged her statement to him. He turned on the bottom right burner on the coil stove and left the kettle there for the water to heat up. Then, he turned his back and opened a shiny plastic bag with the words "Dunkin' Doughnuts" in bubbly white letters scrawled across the top. "When my father died, I got very depressed..." the story began as he grabbed a spoon and a little capsule to put in what Sango could identify as coffee from where she stood.

"That's understandable."

"Well, when I was ten, I couldn't handle the pain of losing my father. So..," he reached his right hand over to the Velcro that helped the wrapping stay around his pale arm. His fingers dug under it, and he ripped it off, having a noise like fabric ripping sound through the air before he started to unravel the nude coloured bandage until he was able to yank it off of his left hand completely.

What met Sango's eyes shocked her.

In the middle of his large left hand was a white patchy scar that started in his palm and went to the back of his hand. Though, the spiderweb-like scar looked notably bigger on his palm than the other side. "I tried to take my own life by stabbing a knife through my hand and twisting it to do damage and to make me bleed. Mushin found me in the bath tub and he took me to the hospital. I've covered the scar ever since."

Her blood ran cold and tears threatened to push their way out of her gentle eyes This boy standing before her had gone through enough pain that he wished to end everything for himself when he was but a child. That would be like Kohaku dying... "Oh Miroku..." She whispered through her pain. Without thinking, she reached her arms out to him and she held him close. "I... I am so sorry..."

Under her arms, she felt her friend's muscles tense, apparently not used to being hugged by girls. But, eventually his arms wrapped around her too and he rested his head on her shoulder as they just enjoyed each other's silent company. It seemed like hours that they stayed like that, with the girl hugging the damaged boy close. As if she were trying to reach into the past and stop the boy from harming himself. But, he began to pull free from her once he heard the kettle let out it's shrill cry, announcing it was hot enough to make tea out of.

"I don't usually tell people that story. Only Kagome and Inuyasha know about this." he informed her as he turned the heat down on the coil and brought the old red kettle off and poured the steaming hot liquid into two cups.

"Why tell me, then?"

"You seem trustworthy. Like someone who'll understand." He explained as the tea bags went _plop_ into the clear liquid, tinting it all most immediately with a golden tint seaming to flow from the thin containment it was in. "I'm all right now, obviously. It takes time and good memories to heal the loss of a loved one."

The girl thought deeply for her next response as she watched the boy move around the kitchen, grabbing a taller glass and putting it beneath the spout of the black machine. Obviously, he must think she was a good person for being able to share something like this with her, but still, she wanted to articulate her next words well so the trust could start to become stronger between the two. Despite the condition of his home and his troubled past, Miroku was a kind boy with a heart of pure gold. She knew this was someone she wanted to be friends with.

"This doesn't change how I feel about you, Miroku. I think you're very brave for showing me that scar you have there. And even braver for surviving what you did."

Miroku turned to the girl with an expression of shock. Obviously, he hadn't expected her to say anything of the sort to him. He visibly relaxed, his eyes soft and his posture more relaxed than she had seen it. "Thank you, Sango."


	5. Chapter Four: Joy and Tragedy

Chapter Four: Tragedy and Joy Walk Hand in Hand.

Though it was one of the most embarrassing experiences of her life, Sango couldn't be happier that she forgot her keys in her home that one day. It lead to the spark of three beautiful friendships; with the bright-hearted Kagome Higorashi, the misunderstood Inuyasha Ito, and the quirky Miroku Yamada. All of them became her closest friends within a matter of months. She learned every quirk they had to offer.

Kagome was a well-mannered, well educated lass with a big heart and mouth. She has a precious little brother, Sota, and was raised by her superstitious grandfather and her timid mother. She met Inuyasha when she was the age of thirteen when he and his older brother, Sesshomaru, moved into town and he transferred into the local middle school. When they were fourteen, a year after meeting, they began dating. And now, at the age of 16, they still love each other more than Sango thought possible for kids around her age.

Inuyasha is a tall, well built male with amber hair that flows past his shoulders and to his midback. Though it appears his eyes are bright and golden, but it is just the work of contacts. His real eye color is a dark brown, like the rest of the group. His older brother, Sesshomaru, is a wealthy business owner with a wife, Kagura, and an 8 year old daughter, Rin. Inuyasha's mother died during childbirth, and his father died bravely fighting an out of control fire. So since he was 6, he was raised by his strict brother. But, when Sesshomaru got his girlfriend pregnant at the age of 16, he has changed to be a little more understanding. But he still is harsh on Inuyasha. But, every outsider in the situation understands he just wants him to succeed. Unfortunately, that's a tall order to fill for the little brother. He is autistic, and there for he doesn't like to talk to people. To add to his situation, the boy has a hard time reading emotions. Which leads to him saying things at inappropriate times. Kagome came up with a word to help him with this; every time she is around him and she hears him saying something that isn't appropriate to the situation, she says "sit", and he stops. However, this word only works with Kagome. Other kids made fun of him for it, so he only listens to his girlfriend when it comes to this word. But, just because he is more than inept at reading emotions doesn't mean he isn't a loyal friend.

Last but not least, there is Miroku. He has suffered so much loss in his life, but yet he keeps a smile on his face and warmth in his heart. His short black hair was always pulled back in a thin pony tail, and his ebony bangs always kissed the top of his dark eyebrows. A bandage was kept around his left hand to cover the scar of when he tried to take his own life. Apparently, he's a bit of a flirt with the ladies... But he has never had a girlfriend. Many of females have asked for his heart, but he's always turned him down. She guessed that he had commitment issues...

These three friends helped Sango settle in to the strange, new environment she was pushed into so suddenly. Miroku helped the newcomer with her English, and made her laugh on her worst days. Kagome hung out with her almost every day and they did their homework together, helping to cook meals for their respective households. Inuyasha was silent to her most of the times, but when he did speak, it was always either caring words or slightly offensive truths. Which, truth be told, never bothered Sango. She was a strong girl, and it took a lot more than a boy who can't read emotions to hurt her.

They were her best friends, and friends that would stick with her for life.

"Sango! Hurry up, what are you doing?" Her father's voice pierced her trance. The girl was sat on the wooden chair in front of her regal mirror, brushing out her silky ivory hair. Her thicker, curvier body was wrapped in a beautiful black dress that had ornate flowers sprinkled over the dark fabric. Her eyes were lined with a dark black eyeliner and coloured with a deep pink hue.

"Sorry, father!" She called down as she rose, pushing in the chair and hopping to her closet to slip her slender feet into the snug frame of black formal flats. With one last glimpse in the mirror, she scurried down the stairs to her father, who was standing at the bottom in a regal black suit and a scarlet tie around his thick neck. "I was just making sure I was presentable for your colleagues."

A gentle smile tugged at his lips, "You're always presentable, Sango. Kohaku! Your sister is ready, let's go!"

The gentle hum of cartoons was killed moments before he showed up next to them, his hair pulled back into a ponytail and his body was hidden in a tux that was a few sizes too big for the boy.

"Aww, Kohaku, you look so handsome!" his older sister cried with delight, holding a hand over her beating heart.

"Ah, Sango... You're making me blush..." he replied, a pink hue surfacing under his freckles.

The eldest giggled, putting her slender arm around his small frame and bringing his warm body close to hers.

"Come on, let's get in the car." The fathers deep voice instructed his children as he lead the way to the door, flicking off the lights to the home and plucking his keys off of the metal hooks they had installed after Sango's little incident. Dad exited first, holding the white wooden door open for his daughter and son to exit the warmth of their house into the nippy November air. "We won't stay at the party long, you two have school tomorrow."

"Okay, father. I finished all my homework, though." Sango reported as she reached for the passenger side door handle.

"Wait, Sango!" Kohaku's hopeful voice pipped up from behind her, "Can I ride in the front?"

"Of course," the girl took several steps back to let her brother replace her in the front seat. The ember haired girl gladly took a seat in the back, sitting behind her brother. Some tufts of his hair were visible above the shoulder rests of the front seat. It was so cute, she couldn't help but giggle to herself.

"Remember to behave yourselves, kids. I want to make a good impression on my fellow doctors." The father reminded as he got into the drivers seat, adjusting the mirrors again since Sango had been practicing her own driving not too long ago.

"Of course, father. We always behaved when we went to get together's in Japan, why would we act any different here?" Sango inquired with a tilt of her head.

"I just want to make a good impression is all, Sango. I already know I have two perfect children, I just want them to see that too."

The eldest child felt her cheeks push the scarlet hue to her plump pale cheeks. "Thank you, father." None of them spoke for a while; but that was normal. The father liked to have his full concentration on the road, she usually listened to her music and the boy either read, played video games on his portable console, or listened to his own music. But, even when it was too dark to read or they didn't have their earbuds on them, it wasn't unusual for them to ride in silence. While most families would find this odd, the Hayashi family had this as the norm.

"Dad?" It was Kohaku's prepubescent voice broke the silence.

"Hmm?" The father asked, tearing his eyes away from the paved road for a moment to look at his son.

A second was all he needed though.

"Dad, look out!" His only daughter shrieked, her body stiffening as she saw a speeding crimson car drift from the next lane going the opposite direction into their side of the road.

Kohaku's screech of terror was the last thing she remembered.


End file.
